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03/28/2024 02:24:10 pm

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Malala Yousafzai, Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Receives U.S. Liberty Medal in Philadelphia

Malala Yousafzai

(Photo : Reuters) Malala also gives an account of the deadly Taliban attack which was narrated to her by friends who witnessed the attack.

Young Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Youzafzai shared her vision for learning in Philadelphia where she was awarded the United States Liberty Medal and US$100,000 on Tuesday.

Malala, a young Pakistani woman who has become the youngest Nobel awardee, pledged her cash reward to push for the education of out-of-school youth in her country during the annual awarding of the Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Centre (NCC).

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The NCC chose to award Malala the medal for her "courage and resilience in the face of adversity" and for becoming "a powerful voice for those who have been denied their basic human rights and liberties."

After receiving the medal two weeks after she was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, the 17-year-old outlined her desire to pursue giving 57 million children the hope to be given the education that they rightfully deserve.

"It encourages me to continue my campaign for education and to fight for the rights of every child," she stated adding that the cash prize she received will be given to educational projects in her home country.

The young Nobel laureate also urged leaders from countries all over the world to spend their resources on education instead of weapons of destruction citing that "education is the best weapon" to "fight poverty, ignorance and terrorism."

"An educated mind is the most powerful force for good on our planet," University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann stated, lauding Yousafzai for her courage and vision.

Born on July 12, 1997, young Malala began her fight against oppression and advocacy for education in her Swat Valley home in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Northwest Pakistan where local Taliban troops had prohibited young girls from attending school.

At 11 or 12 years old, Malala began a blog for BBC under a pseudonym detailing life under the occupation of Taliban troops, condemning how they banned education for young girls like her.

This became an international movement after reports revealed that a Taliban soldier shot her in October 2012.

On October 10, she was announced co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize together with Indian children's rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi. 

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